Billy Graham Center Archives

Eleanor Ruth Elliott - Collection 187

[Note: What follows is a description of the documents in this collection which are available for use at BGC Archives in Wheaton, Illinois, USA. The actual documents are not, in most cases, available online, only this description of them. Nor are they available for sale or rent. Some or all of this colleciton can be borrowed ]

Brief Description.
Family correspondence, prayer letters, brochures, newspaper clippings, prayer cards and letters
from other missionaries, photographs, slides, negatives, journals and diaries, and eight interviews
concerning Elliott's childhood in China, mission work with China Inland Mission (now Overseas
Missionary Fellowship) in China and the Philippines, her experiences as an evangelist and teacher,
her life in China during the Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945, and the civil war that followed. Her
retirement is also documented in the later years. The interviews were recorded on 10/5/81,
10/11/81, 10/20/81, 10/26/81, 11/3/81, 11/9/81, 11/17/81, and 11/30/81. Transcripts are
available for the interviews in the collection.

The materials in Elliott's papers give first-hand information on the missionary work in China
during World War II and under the communist rule before 1951, missions in the Philippines, and
the education of missionary children. The arrangement of the collection and folder titles were
provided by the processor. Duplicates, some unidentified photographs not related to her
missionary work, and extraneous items were not included in the collection and returned to the
donor.

Series: Paper recordsArrangement: Alphabetical by document type, then chronologicalDate range: 1910-1988, n.d.Volume: 1.6 cubic feetBoxes: 1-4Geographic coverage: China, the Philippines, Japan, India and the United StatesType of documents: Correspondence, postcards, missionary information & brochures, journals
& diary, school newsletters & bulletin, newspaper clippings, greeting cards, prayer cards &
prayer lettersCorrespondents: Margaret Elliott Crossett (sister), Vincent Crossett (brother-in-law), Virginia
Crossett Morris (niece), Curtis Elliott (brother), Eleanor Edwards Elliott (mother), Walter Scott
Elliott (father), Frances Elliott Wright (sister), friends, relatives and prayer partnersSubjects: Missionary work in China and Chinese life and culture in the first half of 20th
century, and limited information on missions the Philippines, China Inland Mission, Overseas
Missionary Fellowship. The collection is of particular value for its insights into education -- of
those planning to go to the mission field as well as of nationals and children of missionaries.Notes: The majority of this collection consists of personal correspondence (folders 1-2 through
1-24, 2-2 through 2-16 ), handwritten or transcribed and duplicated. Not all of the letters are
complete. Also included are letters from family members, as indicated above. Of particular note
are the files from Ruth's father Walter Scott Elliott (folders 1-2, 1-3, and 1-6), which contain
candid observations about the political and economic situation in China between 1911 and 1934,
including an evaluation of Chiang Kai-Shek (folder 1-6).Exceptional items: Topics in Elliott's correspondence include her early experiences in evangelistic work; dealing with Chinese Christians of varying commitment; travel; interaction with
Chinese cultural life including weddings, funerals, attitudes toward property, banditry, Christmas
celebrations in the compounds, and schools; and contacts with other CIM missionaries (folders 1-4 through 1-18). Mention of the execution of John and Betty Stam by communists (folder 1-31)
is included in a letter, dated March 1935, also describing the wedding of Margaret Elliott to
Vincent Crossett. There is no correspondence for the period during which she was teaching in
India after having fled the country during the Sino-Japanese War. However, those years are
discussed briefly in tape T7, including descriptions of an emergency situation on the flight from
China to India. Some correspondence (folders 2-6 through 2-7) is on her life as a teacher in
Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and on her retirement in Lisle, Illinois, and Grace Village,
Indiana. The rest of the correspondence (folders 2-2 through 2-5, folders 2-8 through 2-16) was
written by Elliot's relatives and friends. Contents of prayer letters in folders 1-32 through 1-34
include reports from a number of former CIM workers (renamed Overseas Missionary
Fellowship or OMF) operating in the Philippine Islands. These letters include reports from Miss
Elliott's work. Personal correspondence from these years is contained in folders 1-19 through 1-23. Prayer cards and prayer letters in folders 4-5 through 4-8 include reports from various local
and overseas missionaries, mostly working with OMF.

In folder 3-1 are some school newsletters, Elliott's teacher certificate and teaching plan.
Information on Chefoo Schools, a directory of Chefoo Preparatory School staff at Kiating,
Kalimpong and Shanghai and the December 1987 issue of Chefoo magazine are kept in folder
3-2. In folder 3-3 are Elliott's genealogical records, including the family tree and a manuscript
about Elliott's brother entitled "Life with Walter Nathan," written by her sister Margaret Elliott
Crossett.

In her journals and diaries (folder 3-4), Elliott wrote about her daily activities and birds she had
seen. Many of the diaries have only a few entries and one special diary is from a trip to Citadel
Square Baptist Church in Germany on June 5-20, 1973. Also included in this folder is a log book
of the letters she received and sent out; although the range appears to cover the 1980s, the exact
years of most of the entries are not identified.

Missionary information and brochures in folders 4-3 through 4-5 include newsletters and reports
of OMF and mailing lists of CIM alumni. Of particular note are a report written by fellow-missionary David Adeney on his visit to China and a biographical sketch of Kenneth W. Wilson
and Eleanor Blackstone Wilson.

Two copies of a manuscript, "The Emergency Preparatory School," one edited, describe the
establishment of a Chefoo School for children of missionaries in Kiating which was more safely
located during the dangerous period of the Sino-Japanese War years until 1944, when it too had
to be evacuated. Also of particular interest is the manuscript in folder 1-27 which discusses the
educational needs and problems of educating children of missionaries away from their own
countries. Folder 1-35 contains a brief history of Faith Academy, Philippines, and other data
about MK (or missionary kid) education.

Representative of the breadth of Miss Elliott's career activities and interests are a piece of music
written by the Elliott sisters in folder 1-25 and lists of birds seen in China, the Philippines, and
India in folder 1-36, and in the United States in folder 2-1.

******

Series: PhotographsArrangement: See Location RecordsDate range: 1930s-1980sVolume: .1 cubic footGeographic coverage: China, Philippines, Japan, United StatesType of documents: Negatives, photographs, and slidesSubjects: Missionary activities, especially those working with China Inland Mission and
Overseas Missionary Fellowship, social life in the Philippines, and Elliott's students, friends and
relatives

*****

Series: Audio tapesArrangement: Tapes T1-T8 are in chronological order as recordedDate range: Topics discussed cover the time period 1908-1981Volume: 8 audio tapes ( .03 cubic feet)Geographic coverage: China, the Philippines, Japan, India and the United StatesType of documents: Oral history interviewsSubjects: Missionary work in China and Philippines, Chinese life and culture in the first half of
20th century, the China Inland Mission, Overseas Missionary Fellowship, teaching in missionary
schools, and in American schoolsNotes: Eleanor Ruth Elliott was interviewed by Robert Shuster at the Billy Graham Center on
October 5, 11, 20, 26, and November 3, 9, 17, and 30, 1981. Detailed indexes of each interview
will be found on succeeding pages of this guide. Of particular interest are Miss Elliott's
experiences during the Sino-Japanese War (T1, T3-T7) and her life under Chinese communism,
1948 to 1951 (T7). Also of notable interest are descriptions of Chinese customs: binding of
women's feet (T1), Buddhist worship (T1), silk worm culture (T2), urban and rural life (T3),
marriage and engagement customs (T3), family life and attitudes toward women (T4). Time
elapsed in minutes and seconds is listed to the left of the topics discussed.

Tape T1 - side 1 (Click to
link to the transcript of this tape)
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Introduction
00:30 Early family life; brothers and sisters
02:15 Father's activities in China for the American Bible Society; places where they lived--Changsha, Kuling
04:00 Early schooling
04:45 Years in Claremont, California, while father was in France with YMCA
06:00 Life with Aunt Rose Elliott; studies in Long Beach High School, BIOLA, and Wheaton
College
07:00 Memories of childhood in China recalled on return as adult missionary; memory of
Chinese baker's cry
08:45 Language school in Jiangsu Province
09:30 How Chinese colporteurs were recruited by her father: family's help with receipt of
supplies and distribution of Bibles and tracts.
11:30 Experience as child on colporteur trip; flood and deaths of those trapped
13:00 Deliveries of Bibles in rural, Unevangelized areas; response of Chinese
15:00 Follow-up of nearby churches or out-stations
15:30 Chinese servants and learning Chinese
16:30 Life in urban Changsha with mother a doctor in Presbyterian clinic and father a
Presbyterian minister
17:15 Work of the clinic and major medical problems
19:30 Presbyterian hospital and clinic and mother's affiliation with clinic
19:45 Chinese playmates; custom of bound feet and its origin
23:30 Life as a missionary kid (MK) in Chinese setting; other western groups; parents' caution
about diseases and limitation on playmates; play equipment
26:00 Mother's use of Calvert System; Aunt Rose's arrival from Indianapolis to become their
teacher
27:15 Excellence of preparation and grade levels of Ruth and siblings when enrolled at Kuling
and in America on return
30:45 Discipline at home while father was away and at home
32:00 Description of junk ride and length of trip with colporteurs
35:15 Contacts with Chinese home life
36:30 Attention to colporteurs drawn by taunts of Chinese children; father's preaching and
passing out of tracts
37:30 Later visits to Chinese homes as missionaries
38:00 Contacts with Yale students in Changsha
39:00 "Uncles"; German colony
39:30 Cabin resort built by her father near Buddhist temple
40:30 Description of Buddhist worship, idols, temple, and school
42:45 Christian children denied entrance during worship; observations of instructions and
behavior of Buddhist priests
45:30 Escapades of childhood games; exclusion of one child as punishment
47:00 End of side 1

Tape T1 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
01:00 Refusal of Buddhists to talk to her father about religion
01:30 Discussion of Confucian belief and mixture of beliefs in China
03:15 Father's work with other religions; advantages of MK background in language school
05:15 Candidate exams from Shanghai; requirements
06:30 Unsuccessful candidate's problem; mother's recruiting of prayer partners to help him
learn Chinese; subsequent success
08:00 Chinese reaction to mother as doctor; Chinese women herbalists as "doctors"
11:00 Contacts with Nationalists and Japanese conflict, 1937-1938
13:30 Compound used as refuge during war; different flags; bomb shelter and food supply
16:15 Poison gas; wind change
17:00 Arrival in California when nine years old; neighbors and church experience
18:45 No special conversion time remembered
20:00 Churches in Chinese city for English-speaking Christians; national Chinese churches
21:15 No division during war between German and American mission groups; multi-national
missionary contacts
21:30 Christmas parties; German Santa; fear of hair-pulling
23:15 No culture shock on return to States
23:30 CIM rest resort at Kuling; father's purchase of home there
25:00 Four years in Claremont; move to Long Beach, California
26:30 Parents' absence; Aunt Rose and Pentecostalism; parents' reaction and result
29:30 Chores and activities in Claremont home
31:15 Recent (1973?) auto accident; therapy
32:15 Uncertainty over call to the mission field in high school years; decision and application
to BIOLA
35:15 Study and love of music; home and school musicianship
37:15 Use in her mission work: teaching of MK's
38:30 No special status as MK; gymnastics, scholarship, and work at Wheaton College
42:00 End of tape

Tape T2 - side 1 (Click to
link to the transcript of this tape)
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:15 Introduction
00:30 Why Wheaton College was chosen; how parents met
02:00 First impressions; MK financial aid; other family members at Wheaton
03:15 Work and jobs for financial support; selling Bible encyclopedias in Michigan and
Wisconsin; graduation, 1930
08:15 Cafeteria work
09:30 Credit transfer from BIOLA
10:30 Formation of singing trio with sisters; music written; places visited
11:45 Courses valuable for mission field
12:30 Favorite teachers; Dr. Dow, Dr. Straw
14:45 Sports activities, women's athletics
17:00 Roommate Helen Nowack; tennis playing
18:30 Other teachers
19:15 College activities limited; attendance at College Church, Wheaton
20:00 Family reunion; siblings' careers in China
21:15 Life at Williston in MK (4th) floor; library courses and experience
23:30 Spiritual activities and student participation
26:30 Mrs. Shapleigh as head of Williston; episode of stolen goods in the dorm; her training
28:30 Sites of chapel services; graduate school attendance on later furloughs
30:00 Chapel requirements; contacts with Dr. Buswell; Buswell family and observations of
Dr. Buswell's personality
33:15 Effects of Depression on campus and her personal life
35:45 Informal music ministry
37:00 Campus ministries
38:00 Meetings in Chicago at regional China Inland Mission headquarters; inspiration of Dr.
Glover's chapel talks; attendance at CIM with classmates Katharine Dodd Schoerner
and Helen Nowack Frame
41:00 Content of meetings
42:00 Contemporary structure and staffing of Chicago-based headquarters
44:15 Her romance at BIOLA; reluctant parting and further dating experiences at Wheaton
48:00 End of side 1

Tape T2 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
01:00 Post-graduation work to pay debt
02:45 Attendance and support from Gospel Tabernacle, Wheaton
04:00 Comparison of Paul Rader and Buswell as preachers
05:00 Application to CIM and candidate school
08:45 Reasons for nonacceptance of some candidates
10:00 Buying supplies for work in China
11:45 Need for complete supplies and provision for purchase
14:30 Departure from Chicago, 1931
16:15 Observation of idol worship in Japan
17:30 Return shopping expedition in 1939; knowledge of Chinese and numbers as aid
19:15 Chinese language; words needed for Bible reading
19:45 Second visit to Shanghai and changes since Elliott's childhood
20:15 CIM property in International Settlement
21:45 Stay in mission home and purchase of supplies
22:30 Impressions and description of changes of Shanghai since her childhood
23:15 Recreation equipment on the mission compound
23:45 Met by sister, Margaret; arrangements for assignment
24:30 Selection of teammate, request to be with Margaret; Elliott's further language study
25:30 Choices of assignment made by Shanghai Council; personnel of Council
26:45 Size of Council and structure and time of Council meetings
27:30 Director, Mr. Gibb; provincial councils, senior and junior workers
29:30 Territory covered by the Council
30:00 Homes of CIM and local meetings; Kikungshan in Hunan; Scandinavian Alliance and
American school
31:00 Financed by faith; notification during needy periods
31:30 Description of compound and contents; garden and growth of "American" vegetables
33:30 Mulberry trees; description of silk worm culture
44:45 Conversion of CIM headquarters to hospital by communists; visit in 1980 by David
Adeney and OMF party
46:30 End of tape

Tape T3 - side 1 (Click to
link to the transcript of this tape)
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:15 Assignment of Ruth with her sister, Margaret, to Tungcheng
00:45 Reasons for choice of new station site at Tungcheng
01:45 Description of station facilities
02:45 Staff at the station; the Wu family and adopted daughter; waiting to move in.
04:30 Location of the chapel
05:15 Contacts with Chinese children and help from them to learn the language: "taking face"
06:00 At Tungcheng; efforts to gather "Christians"
06:30 Requirements for baptism; different requirements for each locality
08:30 Tungcheng false Christian evangelist; discriminating between true and false Christians;
search for language teacher
10:15 Education level of city people and city homes; contrast of country homes of
"Christians" not living Christian lives
11:45 Bible class and response of city residents to location of the class
12:30 Immoral and hypocritical lives of supposed "Christians"
13:30 Dealing with gambling Christian leader in the church and his reaction; prostitution of
his family
17:30 Instructions from CIM to organize Christian group in that place
18:30 Gambler's claim of church leadership
19:00 Reception by city people; banquet in Elliott's honor
19:30 Description of change of clothes and banquet
21:00 Feast set-up and rankings
22:45 Description of walk around the city
23:45 Food; eating etiquette
26:00 Invitations from other leading Chinese in the city
26:15 Education of Chinese boys only
26:30 One family's girls educated as exceptions; request of one to become a Christian and
train as a nurse
28:00 Preparation for nursing school in Shanghai
28:45 Later marriage and career in Taiwan
29:15 Rumor about woman leader's relationship with Chinese "evangelist"; rejection of
Elliott's teachings and request to refrain; sign outside the compound
32:15 Frustration over spiritual lacks and hypocrisy; small number of those who responded;
woman leader's insistence on leadership
33:00 Contact with CIM provincial leader
33:30 Ruth's illness; doctor friend
35:00 Tests and recommendations from mission nurse; two-month stay
36:15 Illness from stress
36:45 Fine Christian rural group and literate leader
38:15 Talk with CIM director, D.E. Hoste; change of assignment to Shucheng; left in early
months of 1934
39:30 Record of service
39:45 Shucheng service until 1936
40:00 Work with Katie Dodd Schoerner in Yingshang, 1936-1937
41:00 Summer vacation in Honan, 1937
41:15 Japanese invasion of China
41:45 Work in Honan with Miss Davey, 1937-1939; successful ministry
42:45 Furlough with family, 1939-1940, in U. S.
43:15 Teaching MKs in Kaohsiong, 1943-1944
44:15 "Exile" in India until end of war
44:30 Teaching at MK school in Shanghai, CIM headquarters, 1946-1947; furlough, 1947-1948
44:45 Teaching MKs at Kuling, 1948-1951; life under communists for one and a half years
45:15 Move of CIM headquarters to Hong Kong; name changed to Overseas Missionary
Fellowship
46:30 End of tape

Tape T3 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
01:30 Teaching with OMF in Philippines, Grace Christian High School, 1952-1953
02:00 New MK school in Kikungshan (corrected to Tagaytay, Philippines)
02:45 Guerilla fighting; school disbanded
04:00 Sickness and transfer to cooler climate
05:45 Work at new CIM school in Tagaytay, 1953-1956
07:00 Return to U. S.; graduate school, Wheaton College, 1956
07:30 Severe heart attack
08:00 Teaching in Christian school in U. S.; teaching at Columbia Bible College
08:15 Teaching public school in Charleston where Frances lived as widow
08:45 Starting a Christian school on request of church members
09:45 Shucheng, 1934-1936; work with Chinese children; use of singing and pictures;
inclusion of young married couples; effectiveness of music evangelism
13:00 Out stations; adults drawn by children's singing; Chinese Bible woman preacher
15:15 Church established, 1940; chapel created; leaders' training
15:45 Country Bible studies; desire for literacy as measure of commitment of born-again
Christians
18:00 American Bible Society's provision of Bibles
18:30 Subjects most appealing and basic to understanding of Jesus's life; living Christian life;
New Testament's use in teaching
19:45 Chinese understanding of Satan; conflict of desires to behave better
20:30 Shuster tells story of Peace Child, book, and tradition in New Guinea of adopted child
21:45 Adapting gospel to Chinese experience and cultural customs; Chinese politeness and
truth
24:30 Worship service led by elders; winter study in Bible schools
26:00 Organ and choir accompaniment by Ruth and Margaret
26:15 Staring at "foreigners" during the service and interruptions
27:15 Background of mission station at Shucheng; Miss Smith's work, 1904
27:45 Marriage and engagement customs of that area; child became servant of future mother-in-law
31:00 Indentured child became first convert of Miss Smith; beaten for being seen at "foreign
devil's" place; marriage and more beatings
34:30 Example of her behavior helps to convert her husband; first Christian family, Teng; four
sons as elders when Ruth returned to China
35:15 Mrs. Teng's influence; her funeral procession in contrast to mayor's
37:45 Teng family's flight from Japanese invasion; death of baby
38:15 Teng family's return and leadership
39:45 Weekly church activities; prayer meetings and Bible study by various groups
42:00 Relations with Catholic missionaries; language differences
43:15 Chinese Protestants-Catholics' lack of close relationship
45:00 End of tape

Tape T4 - side 1 (Click to
link to the transcript of this tape)
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Introduction
00:30 Death of John and Betty Stam; Margaret and Vincent's marriage plans at Wuhu
01:15 Reaction to Stams' deaths
01:30 Hiding place of Stams' baby; discovery by evangelists
01:45 Betty's abuse by communists; John's beating
02:15 Killing of John next morning; Betty's decapitation
02:30 Baby's rescue by evangelists
03:45 Marriage of Margaret and Vincent in Nanking; funeral of Stams; Betty's parents'
reclamation of the baby
04:15 Ruth's knowledge of communists as killers of Stams
05:00 Reasons for their death
05:45 Killing of Chinese authorities, Chinese Christians, as well as missionaries
06:00 Chinese warning to stay away from mountain area
07:00 Repudiation of communists by majority of Chinese
07:30 Communists' refusal to allow Chinese to worship as they wished
08:00 Contact with Nationalist Party; leader liked by Chinese
08:15 Schools for both boys and girls started by Nationalists
08:45 Use of Buddhist temples as schools
09:15 Girls' pleasure at learning opportunities; tutors of wealthy girls, disadvantage of poverty
09:45 Improved transportation; construction of roads
10:30 Opening of gold, coal mines and oil sources
11:30 Local leaders--"good in the south, bad in the north"
13:15 Teaching reading in local Bible classes; use of primers
13:45 Varying teaching levels for older women, young girls
14:15 Test for true belief
15:00 Children's Bible classes
15:45 Holidays and activities
16:30 Artistic skills of the children; water colors; Bible story illustrations
18:15 Children's contribution to growth of the church
19:00 Description of cholera; Hazel Todd and Elliot's help to keep it under control
22:00 Common diseases: dysentery, malaria, typhoid
23:45 Hazel Todd's death
25:45 Visit to Margaret and Vincent
26:45 Additional helpers
27:30 Elliott's bout with typhoid
29:30 Spread of typhoid by lice
30:45 Progress of the disease; hot-cold rigors
32:30 Life-after-death experience; words of Psalm 118
33:30 Telegram to Margaret and Vincent
34:00 Second brush with death and her inner reaction
35:45 Recovery; recuperation with Margaret and Vincent; transfer to work with Katharine
Dodd Schoerner
36:00 Pearl Galloway and memories of her
37:00 Chinese attitude toward women; heathen versus Christian attitudes
38:00 Family life of Chinese Christians
38:45 Christians' difference from other Chinese
41:00 Divorces unknown in Chinese culture; multiple wives
42:30 Theft problems in Christian society and mission house; woman servant and cook
46:30 End of tape

Tape T4 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
01:30 New church group left without leaders; attempts to reform
03:00 Type of church discipline
05:30 Specific disciplinary actions
07:00 First awareness of Japanese army at Yingsheng after transfer with Katie Dodd
Schoerner; difference in way of life in north; wheat instead of rice
09:00 Uncleanliness of living conditions
10:45 Teaching children and women to read; Bible classes for women
11:30 Summer vacation Bible school for girls
12:00 Crude living quarters
12:15 Kikungshan in Hunan at mountain resort; notification of Japanese attack
13:15 Reaction of church members, missionaries
14:45 Chefoo School one of the first places attacked; move to University compound and
internment by Japanese of all foreigners
16:45 Refugee ship, Gripsholm, and removal of internees
18:30 Advancement of war; unpreparedness of Chinese (1937)
20:00 Telegram from mission to go to Hwangchuan to join Miss Davey; quality of church and
Bible woman
21:45 Jonathan Goforth's instruction to "pray aloud at once"; evangelization groups of the
church
23:30 Japanese occupation, 1938
25:30 Refugee center established by single woman and honored by Japanese; church members
also allowed in this place
26:15 Setting up of similar refugee center in Hwangchuan
27:00 Katharine Dodd's engagement to Otto Schoerner
27:15 Girls who joined Elliott to help set up refugee center
28:15 Gathering women with babies, older men and women; provision for food supplies; use
of seven younger men as water carriers
29:30 Two week bombing period; honoring of flags on compound; destruction around
compound
31:30 Shelling and provision for protection from shrapnel; crowding of mission home
33:00 Green and yellow cloud of poison gas and effects; shift in wind direction
34:15 Town gates stormed by Japanese; demands for food at mission compound gates
36:15 Japanese general's instructions for protection of compound; use of framed notice to
protect from soldiers climbing walls
38:30 Japanese use of airport for bombing raids from north city; compound location in south
city
39:15 Problems with friendly general's replacement; refusal to allow search for food
40:45 Threat and two-hour search only for food allowed
43:30 Diet of edible weeds and economical use of gathered supplies
44:30 Name of Japanese general, brother of Emperor; his second visit to compound; safe-passage card issued to Elliott
46:15 Elliott's use of card later to cross Japanese lines; reaction of soldiers and provision of
launch
48:00 End of tape

Tape T5 - side 1 (Click to
link to the transcript of this tape)
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:15 Introduction
00:30 Chinese mission compound surrounded by Japanese army; difficulty getting food
01:30 All night prayer meeting for safety of Mr. Davis' meeting with Japanese officer next
morning to negotiate for food
04:30 New Japanese Christian officer; issue of passes
06:00 Men sent to get food from neighborhood families; conscription by Japanese army of
Canadian Japanese; subsequent visits from officer
07:45 Request for fresh vegetables; reaction of compound
09:30 Number of people in compound
10:15 Japanese occupation for three months
11:00 Return of Chinese people and their leaders
12:30 Catholic refugee camp; proposition of priest during visit to CIM compound
13:15 Illness of co-worker and admission to Catholic hospital
14:15 Illegal gathering of personal possessions by priest from deserted city
15:00 Ousting of Catholic group by returning Chinese; beheading of priests
16:15 Celebration of Thanksgiving with Lutheran missionaries
17:00 Reinstatement of Chinese leaders to maintain order in the city
18:15 Body of slain soldier left as warning to Chinese army looters
19:15 Activities within the compound; rotation of family cooking
20:15 Prayer for dangers of disease; Elliott's illness and help of Chinese woman
22:15 Conversion of former idol worshiper on evidences of answered prayer
24:00 Drawing straws for 700 year-old brass bowl, gift from former ancestor-worshiping
convert, 1938
26:00 Shuster's reading of World War II almanac, 1931-1945, describing June, 1938, flooding
ordered by Chiang Kai-Shek
27:15 Elliott's description of refugees from the flooding; Margaret and Vincent's choice of rice
to aid refugees; protection of dike where Elliott stationed (north Anhwei)
31:00 Margaret's book about the incident and use of gift of money for refugee relief; attack of
villagers angry for refusal to use money for purpose other than designated
32:45 Local pastor's personal use of similar money challenged by local Christians
34:00 Problems with insects during travel
35:15 Refusal of pastor to allow others to count the offering
36:30 Sunday School; Christmas memory verse prizes
37:15 Difficulty of helping Chinese women of limited mentality in village church; repudiation
of pastor by other villagers
39:45 Pastor's insistence on baptistry
40:15 Elliott's role as advisor to pastor and church with no choice in its leadership
41:00 Differences between rural and village Christians; willingness of the country people to
learn to read; influence of one Christian family
42:30 Transfer to Honan after a year; furlough in 1939 with family
43:30 U. S. reaction about events in China; interest and desire to listen
44:15 Chiang Kai-Shek's capture; conversion during this experience
45:30 U. S. citizens' understanding of situation in China; Chiang Kai-Shek's repudiation of
communism
47:15 End of side 1

Tape T5 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
01:15 American concern for Chinese church in time of testing
02:15 Graduate School at Wheaton College
02:30 Support of "Back to Bible" broadcast and Epp; visit to prayer partners
05:00 Graduate school subjects; memories of teachers; Dr. Tenney
06:45 Edwards Elliott's graduation, 1939; 1980's meeting with Dr. Tenney and his recognition
of them after many years
08:15 Re-entry to China through Philippines route, Hong Kong, and Shanghai; return to
Shucheng
09:45 Pearl Galloway, her engagement and marriage; new co-worker, Hazel Todd
10:45 Train and travel through 200-mile no-man's land; carrying supplies in carts; joined by
merchants seeking protection for the trip
14:15 Starting last part of trip at 3:00 a.m.; flat tire outside the inn; rain storm and delay
16:00 Departure of CIM carts; breakfast tables and warning; hasty flight of cart bearers;
reconvening at next meal tables on the route
19:30 Bandits' capture of merchants who had preceded them and their property; CIM workers
saved by delay of rainstorm and God's protection
20:15 End of tape

Tape T6 - side 1 (Click to
link to the transcript of this tape)
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Relationship between Chinese churches and CIM; Hudson Taylor's initiation of mission
work in inland China
01:45 Training for Chinese converts after churches established
02:30 Structure of organization for scattered churches; Taylor's three selves--governing,
supporting, propagating
04:15 Acquaintance of leaders with each other for interaction and aid; selection of pastors by
local congregation
05:30 "200" young women sent out by CIM in difficult role of initiators of missions in male-oriented Chinese culture
08:00 CIM conferences highly anticipated; attendance of all provincial workers; summer
conferences in Kuling; conference content and sharing of problems
10:45 Feelings of isolation; war interference of mail; childhood war memories
13:45 Chinese postal service and delays; system honored by bandits
15:30 Assignment to teach missionary children; major Chefoo School captured by Japanese;
school begun near Tibet
17:30 Co-workers Frances Williamson, Marian Powell assigned to teach with Elliott
18:00 Elliott's collection of books and usefulness in mission work
20:00 Departure in 1943 from Shucheng by boat
21:00 Mixed feelings on leaving Shucheng because of losses of close ties
22:00 Efforts to rebuild the church with stronger discipline
22:45 Use of pictures in Elliott's lessons
24:15 Conversion of stubborn Buddhist woman and her continuing growth in Christian life
25:30 Meeting with Frances Williamson and Marian Powell
26:30 Travel three miles an hour by open steam truck; uncertainty of transportation and help
from Chinese friend; trip on heavily-loaded truck
33:45 Fear of Japanese by Chinese people
34:00 Financial status of people who traveled
34:30 Signs for restaurants along the road
36:45 Arrival at Sian; Scandinavian Alliance Mission assistance
37:30 One day train ride from Sian
38:30 Truck travel in steep mountain area; tracing of trip on map
42:45 Three-day wait for tickets; dangerous roads; coasting down to save gas; escape from
head-on collision
43:00 School for very young children who couldn't be evacuated from China; students in the
new school
45:00 Kaiting as location of new school
45:30 End of side 1

Tape T6 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
01:30 Yolo-shan, one of the Five Sacred Buddhist Mountains nearby; description of pilgrims'
progress, temples, and steps
05:45 Buddhist priests refuse to allow conversion discussions
07:00 Comparison of learning capacities of Chinese and missionary children
07:45 Facilities for CIM at Kaiting adequate despite prior Japanese bombing
08:30 Evacuation ordered by telegrams to resettle in India
09:45 Plans for Christmas while waiting; tightly controlled U. S. dollars; splurge for
Christmas party
13:00 Limitations of 50 pound restriction for travel out of China
15:00 Departure Christmas Day with remaining children and staff
15:30 Overnight at airfield; Christmas dinner with Air Force officers
17:45 British girl's reaction to turkey
18:45 Jeep rides for children during wait for plane
19:45 Arrival of plane in afternoon
20:30 Technical problem with plane, loading extra gasoline, and delayed take-off
22:00 Up and down drafts over Himalayan Mountains
23:00 Illness of children from drastic pressure changes of altitude
24:30 Boy with rheumatic fever; exhaustion of oxygen supply
27:00 Airfield in sight as child about to die; landing near Burma border
28:30 Pilot's face and reaction of crew to perilous flight
30:00 Fighter plane escort
30:45 Arrival at CIM headquarters crowded with refugees; uncertainty over where to go in
India
32:30 Frances Williamson's flight to Calcutta
33:00 Chinese demand to pay Chinese for flights out of country; continued fruitless
negotiations
35:15 Notice of departure flight; British Airways truck curtained for safety
37:00 Children smuggled to end of runway to be loaded on plane
39:00 Long flight over the "Hump"
39:30 Red Cross women and food at one stop
41:30 Arrival in Calcutta after 12-hour flight
42:00 Met by British officer; not allowed to eat prepared breakfast until questioned by Indian
immigration authorities
43:15 Calcutta hotel accommodations
44:30 Indian man re-met on her departure from India a year later; his story of report to
Parliament of Elliott's plight with children and refusal of Indians to allow breakfast
48:00 CIM staff and children sent to Calcutta refugee center; letter from Scottish Presbyterian
school asking for children
50:00 CIM support sent to school in Kalimpong, Bengal, India; four buildings eventually
available to students and parents; beauty of setting
52:00 End of tape

Tape T7 - side 1 (Click to
link to the transcript of this tape)
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Introduction
01:30 Japanese bombing forced continued flight; extra gasoline loaded on wings made longer
flight possible
02:00 Trips to Calcutta for supplies
02:45 Poor Madras cloth for clothes
03:30 Line waiting for British fabric; Elliott's explanation to official of school's needs
04:15 (Interruption of fire alarm during interview)
04:30 Receipt of large quantity of cloth because children were refugees
05:30 Food supplies from Tibet brought across mountain pass
07:30 Tibetan worship and similarities to Buddhist worship; holy fire
08:30 Effects on children of war and moves; scarcity of letters; reunions with parents
10:00 Dealing with the children; discipline; importance of parents' pictures
13:30 Importance of correspondence with each child by parents
15:00 Contrast of Indian and Chinese cultures; climate and scenery; play space
16:30 Women as carriers in India; women tea pickers
18:45 Observations of caste system; contrast of Indian and Christian response to stricken man
on the road; begging children and their care by a mission
22:00 Sacred cows
23:00 Gandhi and independence movement and mixed reactions; later antipathy to British
25:15 Calcutta's Buddhist nuns and varying support because of caste
27:00 Sparse numbers of Christians in India; Protestant women who worked to reclaim
children sold as temple slaves
29:30 Church services on mission and school compound for half-caste children and refugees;
school training as nurses and craftsmen in trades
31:45 Evacuation a year after war was over, 1946; Carlburg family and Mr. Carlburg as
business manager
33:45 Return to China by way of Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai
34:30 School reopened in Shanghai
35:30 Furlough after a year; Wheaton Graduate School and teachers; music courses
37:00 Graduate work in South Carolina and problem of credit transfer
37:30 Differences between five-tone (Chinese) and seven-tone (Western) music; use of both
in teaching in China
39:45 Return to China in 1948; British control of Shanghai school restored during her
absence; return to Kuling
41:45 Difficulty of teaching use of British currency, Chinese and American systems, decimals,
mileage, etc.; preparations for upper school requirements; superiority of training for
Oxford examination
43:45 Observations of Civil War; discussion of difference between Shanghai and Kuling
school settings
45:45 Results of fighting on plains below; soldiers in Kuling
47:00 End of tape

Tape T7 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
01:30 "Guards" around compound; confiscation of missionary homes; soldiers at school
entrances
02:45 Communist leaders' hypocrisy of devotion of egalitarian standard
05:00 Why Nationalists lost; Communist support with weapons from Russia; Chiang Kai-Shek's uncompleted plans; need of money
07:15 Demand of support by Communists; killing of opposition common, no voluntary
support from Chinese people
07:30 Voluntary support of Nationalists because of establishment of schools, roads;
Communist wait until fully armed; speculation of Communist success versus
Nationalist accomplishments and support
09:30 Corruption as a traditional pattern in China
10:45 Chinese expectation of leadership needing money; lack of awareness of Communist
difference and plan to confiscate property and conscript children and families
12:00 Forced removal of Chinese to different localities and confiscation of land; former
patterns of possession disregarded
13:15 Effects on the church; pastor arrested and imprisoned; communist interception and
reading of all mail and letter that caused pastor's arrest; wife forced to feed her husband
17:15 Son's escape; Elliott's meeting with him in Hong Kong; description of his escape
19:00 Disbanding of the school in 1951 on orders from CIM, British and American embassies
20:00 Obtaining passes to leave
21:30 Attempts to get passes for children not on vacation remaining at the school
23:00 First passes issued in 1952; arbitrary selection by Communists
24:00 Local soldiers good to children
24:30 Prolonged questioning ordeals for passes; attempts to trap by changing statements and
making accusations; insistence on written apology
28:45 Killing of Chinese Christians for belief and opposition to Communist teachings
30:15 Communist usurpation of three-self movement of Hudson Taylor; growth of church in
30-year hiatus of missionary presence
31:30 Chinese Christians' removal if seen in contact with Elliott or other Christians; Elliott's
purposeful avoidance to protect them
33:45 Departure to Hong Kong; customs inspection seven times and loss of possessions in
process
35:45 Hong Kong refugees; camp made available for children to use as a school until claimed
by parents
37:15 Elliott's heart problem as result of questioning ordeal
38:15 Mission disbanded; new plans not yet formulated
39:30 Elliott's questioning and parent-translator's help to protect from attempts to trap her
42:15 End of tape

Tape T8 - side 1 (Click to
link to the transcript of this tape)
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Transfer of CIM work from Hong Kong to Taiwan; Elliott's previous illness and
pneumonia from exposure to rain
02:00 Tape interference
02:15 Hospitalization and return to U. S. for health
02:45 Elliott and sister in Charleston, SC, as public school teachers
03:15 International CIM leaders; meeting in England; fasting and prayer for direction
05:00 Mission continued to southern Asians and Chinese, headquartered in Singapore
06:00 Name change to Overseas Missionary Fellowship
06:15 Elliott contacted by OMF in 1952; reapplication decision
06:45 Reassignment to Philippines; need for thorough physical examination
07:30 Reason for Philippines assignment; need for teachers at Grace Christian High School
08:15 Industrious Chinese in contrast to less ambitious Philippine nationals
09:30 Elliott's teaching and extra-curricular assignments
10:00 Chinese students and their wealth; incident of second grade boy and family cars
12:45 Previous teaching experiences
13:30 One-year period in Manila and problems with climate and health
14:30 Heavy schedule after Simons' arrival; extra tutoring of staff children and complications
of additional responsibilities
17:45 Health problems because of heart condition and humidity
19:00 Recommendation to transfer to mountain area; Tagaytay site choice for new school for
MKs
20:45 Simons' relationship to teaching and administration of the school
22:30 Relationship of principals and leaders of the school; number of students
24:00 Experiences at Tagaytay; geographical setting
25:15 Bus trip and guerilla attack; guerilla fights nearby
27:00 Captain of Philippine army's recommendation to remove school
28:15 Return to Manila; search for new site; selection of suitable house in safer part of
Tagaytay; Elliott's stay until 1956
33:15 Contacts with Philippine church limited because of language; Spanish Catholicism as
Christian contact before contact with U. S. and independence
35:00 Selection of a national language through American influence
36:15 Vote on new national language after independence; Tagalog selected by limited vote
37:45 Constituency of church; Elliott's visits limited by language barrier
39:30 OMF assigned unopened areas; choice of Mindoro Island
40:15 Marie Barnham's desire to work with Buhid tribe
41:45 Elliott's visit to Marie; Gospel Recording work with Buhid, Tagalog, and English
languages; use of record
43:30 First contacts and playing of the record; reaction of tribal members
46:00 Subsequent invitation to Marie from village; attempts to learn the language
47:00 End of side

Tape T8 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap from side 1
01:15 Marie's death in 1958
01:30 Bob and Joy Hanselman's work with Buhid tribe and new churches
02:15 Barriers of reception to the Gospel; opposition of "spirit" leader and other tribal
members
04:30 Iraya tribe and Hazel Page's work; opposition from tribal leaders
05:30 City barriers largely overcome; initial Catholic opposition; American contacts and
broadening effect on religious tolerance
07:00 Format of Philippine services; singing; responsibilities of church members
09:45 Families' visits and spread of Gospel; tribal structure
10:45 OMF methods in the Philippines
12:00 Injury of missionaries by "demon-possessed" tribal members
12:30 Lack of anti-Western feeling from Chinese living in Philippines; problems of co-workers with anti-Western feelings
14:00 Philippine religion and its foundation of fear
15:00 Relationship between Chinese and Filipinos; country Filipino attitudes and homes
17:45 CIM's later transfer of administration to nationals after early planting during Elliott's
years
19:00 Iraya churches and missionaries; Negrito tribes and evangelization by Irayas; 1981
support of Negritos by government
22:00 Conflict with mission group over territory now evangelized by native Negritos
22:30 Neutral government policy toward mission work; support of medical missionaries
24:15 Guerillas fight for ruling power; possible Communist influence
26:15 Moslem mission presence currently in the southern tribal areas
27:15 Impressions of Manila; traffic
29:00 Extremity of living conditions of urban population; friendliness; contrasts of Filipino
and Chinese merchandising
31:15 Lack of intermarriage between Chinese and Filipinos
31:30 School system initiated by Americans
32:45 Visits to public schools; use of local languages
34:00 Efforts to make school compulsory
34:30 OMF use of reading and translation for evangelization; Hazel Page and Iraya dialect;
work on New Testament translation
37:00 Effects of World War II; cruelty of Japanese to Filipinos and Americans; resultant
kindness to sufferers by Filipinos
39:00 Partial recovery of economy; slow restoration of skills, exports
41:15 Return to U. S. and Wheaton Graduate School on furlough, 1956; health problems
42:45 Heart attack in chapel; CIM Doctor Adolph's refusal to allow return to mission field
45:30 Teaching in Philadelphia; Columbia Bible College and two-year service; return to
widowed sister in Charleston, SC
46:30 Starting Christian school in church
46:45 Settling in Lisle, IL, in 1977; eligibility for government help because of age and auto
accident
47:45 Current Bible study classes for Chinese nationals in U. S.
48:15 End of tape

LOCATION RECORD
Accession 81-130
Type of Material: Artifacts
The following items have been given to the BGC MUSEUM:

Handmade (?) metal bowl, 7" in diameter and 1-5/8" high. Metal is badly discolored. A
fragment has been broken off and reattached to the rim. Two metal rings, approximately 3/4" in
diameter, are attached opposite each other beneath the rim on the exterior of the bowl. Inside, on
the bottom of the bowl, is a design, much worn with age, apparently of two peacocks. This bowl
was given to Miss Elliott by a Chinese convert who told her it had been in her family for over
700 years and it was used in the rite of ancestor worship. The piece on the rim was broken off
and reattached by Miss Elliott in her travels.

Wooden frame for the bowl described above in which the bowl can be stood on its edge.

Broken wooden frame for the bowl described above in which it can be rested on its base. The
frame was broken during Miss Elliott's travels.

*****

LOCATION RECORD
Accession 81-105, 81-112, 81-116, 81-122, 81-124, 81-126, 81-130, 81-142
Type of Material: Audio Tapes
The following items are located in the AUDIO TAPE FILE:

T1 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 speed, 90 minutes. Interview by Robert Shuster of Eleanor Ruth
Elliott on October 5, 1981, in which Miss Elliott describes her childhood in China and
school in the United States (1908-1917).

T2 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 speed, 90 minutes. Interview by Robert Shuster of Eleanor Ruth Elliott
on October 12, 1981, in which Miss Elliott discusses her education at Wheaton College
and beginning of her mission work in China under China Inland Mission (1928-1930).

T3 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 speed, 90 minutes. Interview by Robert Shuster of Eleanor Ruth Elliott
on October 20, 1981, in which Miss Elliott discusses experiences in China and the
Philippines and return to the United States (1930-1958).

T4 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 speed, 90 minutes. Interview by Robert Shuster of Eleanor Ruth Elliott
on October 26, 1981, in which Miss Elliott discusses the Sino-Japanese War's affect on
mission work (1930's).

T5 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 speed, 70 minutes. Interview by Robert Shuster of Eleanor Ruth Elliott
on November 3, 1981, in which Miss Elliott discusses post-war problems in China,
furloughs, and return to Wheaton Graduate School (1938-1940).

T6 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 speed, 90 minutes. Interview by Robert Shuster of Eleanor Ruth Elliott
on November 9, 1981, in which Miss Elliott discusses teaching and leaving China for
India to teach during Sino-Japanese War (1940-1945).

T7 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 speed, 90 minutes. Interview by Robert Shuster of Eleanor Ruth Elliott
on November 17, 1981, in which Miss Elliott discusses work with children of missionaries, return to China, and life under communism (1944-1950).

T8 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 speed, 90 minutes. Interview by Robert Shuster of Eleanor Ruth Elliott
on November 30, 1981, in which Miss Elliott discusses the transfer of CIM to Taiwan,
change of name to Overseas Missionary Fellowship, and work in Philippines (1952-1954).

*****

LOCATION RECORD
Accession: 92-34
Type of material: Negatives
The following items are located in the NEGATIVE FILE. Request by Folder Titles (in bold) at
the beginning of each entry below. All the negatives are black and white, unless otherwise noted.

LOCATION RECORD
Accession 88-97, 92-34
Type of Material: Photographs
The following items listed below are located in the PHOTOGRAPH FILE. Request by Folder
Titles (in bold) at the beginning of each entry below.

CHINA. Scenery in Kuling-area, where Elliott taught. N.d. 1 b&w.

DUNN, GORDON TAYLOR. Family portrait. N.d. 1 b&w.

ELLIOTT, ELEANOR RUTH. Portrait and candid photos. Includes a strip of twenty-five
Citadel Square Baptist School students in 1970-1971; an undated group shot of missionaries,
possibly taken outside the Moody Church, including Elliott and Moody pastor H. A. Ironsides
(list identifying the people at the back of the photo); several group photos with friends or family;
2 pictures of ships on which Miss Eleanor Ruth Elliott might have sailed. 1930s?-1980s?. 8
color, 39 b&w.

JAPAN. Photo of Japan's royal family, ca. 1930s, and of the Sanzen-in Temple, n.d. 2 b&w.

OMF - PHILIPPINES. Photos of missionary activities, schools and residence huts in a rural
area. Group shots include Elliott with other missionaries and colleagues. Also includes family
photos of Jean and John Lockhart, and colleague Hazel Page. 1952-1956. 47 b&w, 1 color.

LOCATION RECORD
Accession: 92-34
Type of material: Slides
The following items are located in the SLIDE FILE. Request by the SLIDE BOX at the beginning of each
entry below.

SLIDE BOX 20
S1-S43 - Scenes related to the activities of Overseas Missionary Fellowship in the Philippines,
including pictures of missionaries, co-worker Hazel Page, missionary school, primitive
missionary huts, rice drying; scenes of the social life of the Filipino and scenery in the
Philippines; of particular note are shots of CIM posters taken in 1955, a Christmas tree and a
Christmas star.

CONTAINER LIST

Box

Folder

Item

1

36

Bird List: China, India, Philippines; n.d.

2

1

Bird List: United States: 1976-1978

1

1

Brochure: CCM (Chinese Christian Mission) Ministry; 1978

Correspondence

Crossett, Margaret Elliott

2

2

1931-1943

2

3

1984-1988

1

12

Elliott, Curtis; 1940

2

4

Elliott, Curtis and Elsie (Gatherer); 1948-1956

2

5

Elliott, Eleanor Edwards; n.d.

Elliott, Eleanor Ruth

1

4

1931-1932

1

5

1934

1

7

1935

1

8

1936

1

9

1937

1

10

1938

1

11

1939

1

13

1940

1

14

1941

1

15

1946

1

16

1949

1

17

1950

1

18

1951

1

19

1952

1

20

1953

1

21

1954

1

22

1955

1

23

1956

1

24

n.d.

2

6

1959-1966

2

7

1971-1988

Elliott, Walter S.

1

2

1910-1911

1

3

1926-1931

2

8

1933

1

6

1934

2

9

Morris, Virginia Crossett; 1984-1988

2

10

Wright, Frances Elliott; 1967-1988

Correspondence to Eleanor Ruth Elliott

2

11

1950s

2

12

1960s

2

13

1970s

2

14

1980-1984

2

15

1985-1988

2

16

n.d.

Educational Records

3

1

Documents & Newsletters/Letters; 1963-1984; n.d.

3

2

Chefoo Schools; 1955-1988; n.d.

3

3

Genealogical Records; n.d.

3

4

Journals and Diary; 1920-1988

Manuscripts

1

25

Trio by Eleanor Ruth and Margaret Elliott; 1928

1

26

"The Emergency Preparatory School"; 1944

1

27

"Problems in Teaching the Children of C.I.M. Missionaries in the Philippines"; n.d.